Disciplinary and Delinquent Behavior—SAGE Baseline Survey

Abstract

The Disciplinary and Delinquent Behavior—SAGE Baseline Survey is a critical public health instrument designed for the systematic measurement of problematic behaviors among adolescents. This specialized tool quantifies the prevalence, frequency, and intensity of disciplinary and delinquent behavior in youth aged 12 to 17 residing in the United States. Developed through a collaboration between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), its foundational purpose is to establish an epidemiological benchmark. This baseline is essential for tracking long-term behavioral trends, identifying associated risk factors and protective factors, and ultimately guiding the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies.

Keywords

Delinquency, Disciplinary problems, Youth behavior, Adolescent risk, SAGE Survey, Violence prevention, SAMHSA, CDC, Substance use, Antisocial conduct, Epidemiological study.

Authors

Flewelling RL, Paschall MJ, Ringwalt CL.

Purpose

The primary objective of the SAGE Baseline Survey is dual-focused: first, to provide a systematic and quantitative measure of the scope and characteristics of disciplinary behavior and delinquency within the target adolescent population. This involves assessing the frequency and severity of specific antisocial acts reported by the youth themselves.

Secondly, the instrument functions as a vital public health resource by establishing a reliable, definitive baseline. This baseline is crucial for longitudinal studies, allowing researchers and policymakers to monitor and evaluate changes in youth behavior over time, particularly in response to community initiatives or targeted intervention programs. The data derived from this survey helps link specific behaviors to underlying environmental, social, or individual determinants, thereby supporting the creation of nuanced adolescent risk profiles and informing public safety measures.

Construct

The underlying psychological and behavioral construct measured by this instrument is defined as multidimensional delinquent behavior and associated institutional disciplinary problems, with a specific focus on conduct related to violence and general antisociality among adolescents. The scale operationalizes this broad construct through the self-reported frequency of specific, observable actions across several critical domains.

Key domains assessed include criminal activity (e.g., theft, property damage), formal institutional infractions (e.g., school suspension, legal detention, court appearances), and high-risk behaviors (e.g., truancy, job termination). The composite score derived from these items is intended to serve as a unidimensional index reflecting the overall level of general violence-related or high-risk behavior experienced by the respondent within a defined period, typically the past 12 months.

Validity

Specific, detailed psychometric studies verifying the content, criterion, or construct validity for the standalone items of the Disciplinary and Delinquent Behavior—SAGE Baseline Survey are not explicitly documented in the core source material. However, the instrument’s items are integrated within the larger SAGE survey framework, which is routinely utilized in extensive epidemiological and public health studies.

The scale possesses established face validity, as the items directly address behaviors commonly associated with youth crime, institutional infractions, and general risk assessment. The validity of the resulting index score relies heavily on the fundamental assumption that adolescents’ self-reported engagement in these behaviors accurately reflects their actual involvement in disciplinary and delinquent activities.

Reliability

Quantitative reliability coefficients, such as measures of internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or test-retest reliability estimates for the nine items comprising the SAGE Baseline Survey’s disciplinary and delinquent behavior subscale, are not explicitly provided within the primary documentation. This absence is common for instruments developed primarily for large-scale governmental surveillance rather than clinical application.

Researchers intending to use this scale are strongly encouraged to consult subsequent academic literature and peer-reviewed studies that have cited the original Flewelling et al. (1993) publication. These secondary sources often contain specific reliability coefficients derived from administering the scale to various population samples, offering context-specific data essential for proper interpretation.

Factor Analysis

The standard application of the scale involves aggregating the nine individual items into a single, unified index score. This score represents the respondent’s overall level of violence-related or high-risk behavior experienced within the past calendar year. This aggregation technique implies a methodological treatment of the items as indicators of a common, underlying factor—namely, generalized antisocial or delinquent propensity—rather than distinct, separable behavioral constructs.

Scoring the index requires assigning one point for every affirmative response that falls within the past year (i.e., the first three temporal response categories: “Within the past month,” “Between 1 and 6 months ago,” or “Between 6 months and 1 year ago”). This summation results in a potential total score range of 0 to 9, reinforcing the treatment of the scale as a unidimensional measure of cumulative behavioral risk.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report survey instrument/Baseline assessment tool

Format: Fixed-response questionnaire (Likert-type time frequency scale)

Language Available: English, Spanish

Population Group: Adolescents/Youth

Age Group: 12–17 years old

Population Details: Youth residing in the United States, administered across various settings including schools, community centers, and homes, typically as part of broader epidemiological studies.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to indicate the last time they engaged in each of the nine specified disciplinary or delinquent behaviors, utilizing a five-point frequency scale based on temporal proximity (e.g., past month, 1–6 months ago, never).

Keywords

Adolescent crime, Behavioral risk assessment, Youth violence, Property damage, Truancy, SAMHSA survey, Delinquency index, Prevention research, High-risk behavior.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source.

Correspondence Address: Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1993

Permissions and Fee: Specific information regarding licensing fees or permissions required for commercial use is not detailed in the primary source documentation. Given that the instrument was developed by U.S. government agencies (SAMHSA, CDC) for the purpose of public health monitoring and surveillance, it is frequently accessible in public domain compendiums of assessment tools.

The original PDF compendium containing the instrument (located on pages 210-211) can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

Reference’s

Flewelling RL, Paschall MJ, Ringwalt CL. SAGE Baseline Survey. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute, 1993.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Atlanta, GA: CDC, 2005 (Instrument found on pages 210-211).

Items of the Disciplinary and Delinquent Behavior—SAGE Baseline Survey

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

When was the last time you …

1. Stole something?
2. Stole something worth more than $50?
3. Damaged or destroyed property that didn’t belong to you?
4. Were detained or arrested by the police?
5. Were required to appear in court for something you had done?
6. Were sent to the principal or counselor for disciplinary reasons?
7. Skipped class?
8. Were suspended or expelled from school?
9. Were fired from a job?

Response Categories:

• Within the past month
• Between 1 and 6 months ago
• Between 6 months and 1 year ago
• Over 1 year ago1
• Never

Items can be considered separately or as an index of violence-related behavior within a given time period. To create an index for past-year violent or violence-related behavior, a point should be given for each item with a check in one of the first three response categories, thus creating a possible range of 1-9.